Bob and B: One Song, Two Legacies
Written By: Kyle Thompson
Please support the Robert Lockwood Jr. Legacy Group and mark your calendars for the annual festival held from March 20th-21st at the Treelawn in Cleveland, Ohio.
Image by: Lionel DECOSTER, PARIS, France
In 1996, Robert Lockwood Jr. stepped into the recording studio to record what would later be his Grammy nominated album, “I Got to Find Me a Woman”. Backing him were members of the legendary Robert Lockwood Jr. All-Stars and special guests, B.B. King and Joe Louis Walker. Several notable songs were cut for the album, including his standards “Little Boy Blue” and “Take a Little Walk with Me”. In addition to this, Lockwood recorded an incredible cover of Robert Johnson’s Walkin’ Blues, and the album’s titular song “I Got to Find Me a Woman”. When the album was released in 1997, Robert Lockwood Jr. was 82 years old.
The 13th track on the album, “Bob and B", stands out for its unique contribution to the broader history of the blues. The song teaches us that sometimes blues doesn’t have to have any words for it to still speak to listeners. Bob and B is a simple, 12 bar blues duet song between Robert Lockwood Jr. and B.B. King. Lockwood plays a strong, steady accompaniment to B.B. King, who plays shimmering leads over the progression of the song. The fascinating thing about the track is that it is, in a way, a metaphor for both of the musicians and their lives up to that point.
Photograph of B.B. King in Ann Arbor, c. 1972 , Unidentified (Michiganensian is the University of Michigan yearbook published by University of Michigan)
In B.B. King’s early days playing guitar, he had notoriously bad timing. Lockwood stated “After I heard how bad B.B. was sounding, I didn’t want to help him”. While in Memphis, Lockwood showed guidance to B.B. King to help him with his sound. It was Lockwood who also recommended that B.B. King played with an eight piece band to help him play with better timing. In 1957, B.B. King released his first full album titled “Singin’ the Blues” on Crown Records. On the album, he demonstrates a markedly great improvement from the initial days when he met Lockwood. The album’s success significantly boosted B.B. King’s career, and helped carry him forward to become one of the most influential musicians of the 20th Century.
Robert Lockwood Jr.,began his career studying under the legendary Robert Johnson. Johnson followed Lockwood’s mother home, and spent time with her. He took on Robert Lockwood Jr. as his protege, and taught him the fundamentals of guitar. After Johnson’s death, Lockwood went on to play with Sonny Boy Williamson on King Biscuit Time, broadcasting blues to many listeners across the south. Later, he worked as a session musician for Chess Records, appearing on legendary tracks like Little Walter’s “My Babe”. Lockwood eventually landed in Cleveland, establishing his name in the local community as a link to the Delta Blues. He innovated a jazz-tinged sound ushered in by his 12 string guitar, making him stand apart from many other musicians.
After decades of touring, both Black men came together on “Bob and B” as musicians who lived through the 20th century, communicating with just their guitars. B.B. King’s ability to hold and maintain time with Robert Lockwood Jr. is a demonstration of his growth, so to speak, while Robert Lockwood Jr. positions himself as an anchor, not just proverbially to the song, but to the blues itself as a direct connection to Robert Johnson, King of the Delta Blues. When you listen to the song, you can hear their joy, laughter, and sometimes tears as they recount their journeys together, finally concluding wistfully as good friends who had a brief but profound conversation. Listen to the song, and hear two masters at work.
